Ferral
Ferrals are a sentient, anthropomorphic race of intelligent humanoid cats that wear clothing and have the potential to speak multiple languages. Considered allies to the wellspring families, they are capable hunters, living in a clan based lifestyle and scavenging across the land, depending on where the clan lives. Characteristics Scientific name: Homo Felinus Weight: 15-20 pounds Maximum Age: 80+ years Habitat: Every continent except Antarctica Family: Sentient being + Felidae Ferrals have a physiology comparable to that of the common house cat, albeit on two legs with an intelligence on par with the average human. They reach an average height of three feet tall, though larger specimens can grow up to four feet in height. They have tails, three fingers claws, teeth, and a single opposable thumb, along with a rough and thick coat of fur that protects them from the elements rather well. These coats can range in a plethora of colors, textures, and lengths, including all the standard colors that the common house cat can be. however, their vocal chords are of fairly different design in comparison to that of a house cat's, allowing them to form complex syllables and sounds that can speak languages suitable for humans and any other race that is technically advanced enough. Because they share virtually the same physiology as a cat, Ferrals have heightened senses and reflexes and are partially color blind, though they have a higher clarity than a cat's due to their eye's anatomy. Though their world may not be as vibrant and colorful due to a lesser amount of cones, their field of view has a 20% increase to it because of the way their eyes are positioned and have excellent night vision. Along with their keen hearing, sneaking up on them can be virtually impossible for those not trained in their methods, and they are extremely quick on their feet and alert to danger. Their anatomy also means that they have a weakness towards Theobromine that is shared with other felines, and can suffer negative effects from it's ingestion. Ferrals also are primarily carnivores, though will eat minor amounts of vegetation. Because of this, unlike actual domesticated cats, they have sweet receptors on their tongues, although they are no where near as keen as a human's or an Elf's, thus sweetness tastes more like a dull buzz. Ferrals also clean themselves off similar to cats, licking their hands and arms with their course tongues, although they usually reserve the parts of their bodies covered with clothing for washing with soap and water. For some reason, though their anatomy is so similar, Ferrals live for an average of eighty years, much longer than than the average house cat. Culture These beings commonly live in a clan-based lifestyle, and use their natural weapons of claws and teeth, along with their own self-designed weaponry to hunt. They will also use weapon designs from other species, such as firearms or swords from Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Orks, a good example being Faris, who chooses to use a modified Rheinmattel MG 3 to hunt and defend himself. Depending on where the clan lives, They could rather be scavengers, traders, hunters or even bounty hunters, living in environments ranging from the temperate forests of north america and Europe to the amazon in south America and the Sahara in Africa. Indeed, the Nyarna clan is well-known world wide for the fact that they live on the back of a Thunder Gigant. In each Clan there approximately twenty to thirty individuals, equally working together and filling niches that include, hunters, gatherers, weavers, and even mothers. In more scavenging and trading clans, specific niches for the environment and the lifestyle exist, such as scavengers meant to find things worthy to sell. the native language that is spoken by the Ferral is known as the Myuthis language. Known Individuals * Fen: Monster tactics teacher at Windborne academy; Aourron's favorite teacher. * Faris: Fen's nephew; grew up in Germany and has a heavy accent. * Pyrus: Childhood friend of Fen; leader of the lightnifelin clan, and also known as the Rusted Swords breaker for the coloring of his fur and his fighting style. * Ursan: Also known as the Bear-claw, Ursan is a deserter who is consistantly trying to kill Pyrus to take over the clan. He is four feet tall, and very proficient in combat. Trivia * Their clan-based lifestyle along with multiple characters are call backs to the popular book series "Warriors" by Erin Hunter. Good examples include Pyrus, Who was heavily influenced by the character Firestar, and Ursan, who in turn was influenced by the character Tigerstar. * The clans that live together is also a call-back to the Warrior series, although they have new names, and they are much more varied in location. * Faris on the other hand was partially influenced by the protagonist, named Francis, in the 1994 German animated film Felidae, based upon a book of the same name. However, I have never seen the film, (It's not meant for the faint of heart, with scenes including acts of copulation between two cats, gruesome, nightmarish LSD acid trips, and ritualistic suicide cults,) and have instead based Faris upon the little information of the movie that I know of. * Of course, not every character will be based upon a pop culture counterpart, such as Fen, who is an Original character and was built from the ground up. * The names of the characters also have interesting Etymology. Pyrus's name is a derivitive of the term Pyro, meaing fire, referring to his coat color, and Ursan is referring to Ursa, the scientific name for bear.